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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24375826">soy cappuccino (a short fic)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinryujin/pseuds/shinryujin'>shinryujin</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>ITZY (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops &amp; Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Art Student Shin Ryujin, Barista Hwang Yeji, Best Friends Choi Jisu | Lia &amp; Hwang Yeji, Coffee, Coffee Shops, College, Eventual Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Mentioned Choi Jisu | Lia, Mentioned Jang Geunsoo, Mentioned Lee Chaeryeong, Mentioned Shin Yuna, Mentioned Yoo Jeongyeon, Romantic Fluff, Short, but mostly ryeji, mentions of the other itzy members, ryeji - Freeform, short fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 01:01:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,261</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24375826</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinryujin/pseuds/shinryujin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hwang Yeji is a part-time barista at the local cafe near her university. Joanne is a fine arts student from the same university. She usually orders a hot, grande-sized soy cappuccino, and Yeji has it memorized like the back of her hand.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hwang Yeji/Shin Ryujin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. How to Make a Scene</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rites/gifts">rites (Rites)</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was actually intended to be a one-shot but my brain suddenly spat out a plot and now I got stuck with this. Which I honestly don't mind. Also, this is my first work ever on here so please take it easy on me. Hope you like it though! Thank you so much to my friend <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rites/pseuds/rites">Tree (Rites)</a>, who provided me with prompts for this AU!<br/><b>Word Prompts</b>: <i>quick glances, curtain fall,</i> and <i>glitter.</i></p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>If Hwang Yeji were to rate her week, she would probably give it a three and a half stars out of ten. She started her week with a shitload of readings and an insane coverage to study for their final exams the following week to end the semester. The next day, Tuesday, she asked her manager if she could end her shift early at the café for that day and on Friday (the only two days where she had a shift at the café) because she needed to catch up on school work. But that didn’t work out either; apparently, one of her fellow part-timers, Choi Jisu, asked to take the week off before Yeji did, leaving them undermanned. Consequently, that also meant that she had to relieve for Jisu’s shifts.</p><p><em>Great. Just what I needed,</em> Yeji thought. <em>More work</em>.</p><p>The next couple of days weren’t any better; she either messed up customers’ orders or accidentally gave them someone else’s – all because she lacked sleep from pulling all-nighters just to finish her readings. And despite it being the last day of the week, she manages to find herself stuck in a barrage of poorly-executed and uncomfortable pick-up lines from a breed of sleazy male customers trying to hit on her. She tries to ignore them away, keeping a bright smile plastered on her face because she wants to keep her job and at the same time not be a nuisance to the other customers around.</p><p>“One grande-sized Iced Americano for…” Yeji looks at the name on the clear plastic cup, despite having written the name on it herself, extra careful not to mess up another order. “Seok-Ma…?”</p><p>Right then and there, the jeering from the table of noisy college boys becomes louder. One of them, clad in one of his university shirts underneath an embroidered bomber jacket, steps forward to claim his drink. As he did so, one of his friends from the same loud table shouts, “Get it, Seok-Ma DIIIIICK!” giving his tablemates high-fives while aiming smug faces at the obviously annoyed barista.</p><p>The man who steps forward is probably around her age or maybe even older by a couple of years. “My name’s actually Jang Geun-soo, but you could call me ‘your man,’” he jests, taking the cold cup of coffee from her hands. Knowing the café’s protocol on asking for the receipt for the barista to confirm the order, he hands her the wide strip of paper with his name and number written at the back. “Here,” he says. “Maybe next time, I can call you mine.” He bites his lower lip, casts Yeji a confident look, and winks.</p><p>The barista musters a seemingly genuine smile, completely hiding the fact that she’s cursing out all of them in her head. “I wasn’t actually asking, Mister Seok-Ma. But thank you for your input,” she replies. She flips over the receipt to check the order and puts a stamp at the bottom. She slides the receipt forward, along with the tissue and the straw, towards the college jock currently testing her patience. “You may throw your garbage in our garbage disposal area, right there,” she points, open-palm, to the newsstand-slash-condiment station behind him, where three chutes are labeled <em>Paper, Plastic,</em> and<em> Compost</em>, respectively. “If you don’t know where to throw it, throw it in the one labeled ‘Paper.’ Thank you so much and have a nice day!” Yeji smiles widely, maintaining good composure.</p><p>The group of friends begins shouting and ridiculing Geun-soo at the barista’s well-mannered retort. Yeji starts getting worried at the number of customers, especially the studying students, looking their way as they get bothered by the noises coming from the loud table. “Careful, Miss Yeji,” Geun-soo sneers and clicks his tongue. “You won’t know what you’re miss—”</p><p>“Yeji-yah,” a deep but feminine voice cuts through the atmosphere. Somehow, it has increased tension. “Is this asshole making you feel uncomfortable?”</p><p>All eyes shift to the girl who rattled the premises, including Geun-soo and Yeji.</p><p>“Oh, Joanne,” Yeji greets with a bow, rushing to the cashier side of the counter. “What could I get you today? The usual, perhaps?” She side-eyes the café’s wall clock – it reads 4:45 PM. Yeji has been too preoccupied with her own thoughts and daily struggles that she hadn’t noticed that one of their usual Friday afternoon customers, one of Yeji’s favourites, Joanne, arrived late for the first time in weeks.</p><p>Joanne scans the college jock from head to toe, with the smallest of scowls painted across her face. She turns to the barista eagerly waiting for her order, and nods. “Mhm, just the usual. Maybe add in an extra cup of hot water, Venti-sized. It’s really cold outside,” she grins like morning sunshine and warm honey, eyes vanishing and whisker-like marks engraving her cheeks. She fishes her wallet from the pocket of the white sling bag hanging at her side, and hands the barista her card.</p><p>“You didn’t answer me, though,” she reminds, steering them back to the previous conversation where her question was left in the open, her smile vanishing like a snap of a finger. Joanne turns to her left to look at the college boy looking at her with an expression that was difficult to read. He is either sneering at her or checking her out – she cannot figure it out. Either way, Joanne has been repulsed by him the moment she stepped inside the café.</p><p>Yeji’s cheeks flush a bright pinkish-red, almond-shape eyes flitting nervously in circles. She tilts her head down and says in a small voice, “Yes, he was. They all were.” She didn’t have to specify which table it was for Joanne to know exactly which group of college boys she was pertaining to. She bites her lip as she feels the tension rise, blood attempting to flow out as she presses harder – other customers are even beginning to record the scene on their smartphones. The barista sneaks a glance at the girl having a stare-down with the jerk who attempted to make a pass at her.</p><p>Today, she’s sporting an over-sized, navy blue pullover that ends just below her hips, and a pair of baggy straight-cut trousers. Her shoulder-length hair is fixed in a low, messy bun, and her round specs are perched on her straight and delicate nose. Yeji has seen the girl’s wide range of clothing options and her variety of looks as she’s been one of their most loyal customers since their school year started, but she has never seen Joanne like this – all riled up and fuming. Her trail of thought breaks as she remembers that she hasn’t started fixing up her drink. Luckily, aside from months of barista training, she’s made it for this particular customer several times before that the steps have become motorically automatic, almost as automatic as talking.</p><p>As the barista prepares the concoction, she could hear the heated dialogue behind her. “You heard her,” Joanne smirks, her voice thick but velvety, laced with a bit of cockiness. “You and your shit, perverted behaviour are nowhere near attractive nor appealing to her. The least you could do is to have yourself and your ape-brain jock friends apologize to her and get the fuck out of here. You’re ruining everyone’s peace of mind.” She rolls her eyes as she walks towards the claiming area, bumping her shoulder against the boy’s arm as she walks past him.</p><p>The jock immediately turns to face her, ears tinged red out of embarrassment. His friends howl behind him, insisting to let them back him up. “Who the fuck do you think you are, huh, bitch?” he snarls like a predator trying to defend his territory, waiting to pounce on whomever he intends to prey on. “You know, I thought you were kind of cute for a <em>bitch</em>. Now, you’re just a plain-ass bitch to me. You have no business here, so it’s best if you stick your nose out of here, <em>miss</em>.” He says almost every word with a snap full of contempt.</p><p>As if that wasn’t enough, he takes a sip of his iced Americano and frowns. “You’re really defending a barista who can’t even make a decent Americano,” he chuckles at Joanne in disbelief and looks at the barista putting a layer of milk foam in the white paper cup. “Yeji, if you go out with me, I’ll teach you how to make a better one… because the one you just made tastes like toilet water. Okay?”</p><p>“That’s not really necessary, th—,” Yeji attempts to respond but was cut off by the girl wearing round glasses.</p><p>“First of all, I am a woman and a friend defending a fellow woman being harassed by a narcissistic asshole who has nothing to his name but his parents’ money and a mediocre grasp at his own sport. Second, it’s really bold of you to think that I care about what a brawn-for-brains college jock with the personality of a high school student – who drinks <em>toilet water</em> – thinks about me. Mostly because you don’t have the capacity to think, as observed in your tendency to drink toilet water,” Joanne snaps back with a sharp tongue, maintaining equal amounts of levelheadedness and disdain. “Third, if you don’t like it…” she pauses and knocks the iced drink out of his hand, the contents spilling onto his university shirt and chino pants, “…then don’t drink it.”</p><p>The small cubes of ice and the now-empty plastic cup rattle against the floor tiles. The murmurs, the flabbergasted reactions, and the clicking of smartphone camera shutters fill the usually-peaceful air of the café. Some customers have already left since the ruckus has completely shattered their focus.</p><p>“One hot, grande-sized soy cappuccino and hot venti-sized water for Joanne!” Yeji calls out anxiously but loudly, in attempt to defuse the tension – but alas, it did not suffice. The next few events then become a blur to the barista. She hears Joanne say <em>perfect,</em> under her breath. Water dripping on trousers and college jocks screaming in pain. Joanne saying <em>apologize and leave</em> in a low voice. Her manager, senior Yoo Jeongyeon, asking about what was happening. Joanne explaining the gist. Several heavy footsteps walking out the door. The screeching of the wooden café chairs against the floor tiles as people take their seats after the commotion ended.</p><p>It all happened so fast that Yeji feels like she was in a trance. She snaps back to her senses as she feels a gentle and comforting hand find its way to hers. “Yeji. Yeji,” the raspy, velvety voice calls softly. “Yeji, are you okay?” She looks up to find Joanne’s deep brown eyes locked onto hers, brows furrowed in concern. Her heart skips a beat.</p><p>“Yes, I’m okay,” she replies, still stunned at the series of unfortunate events. “Thank you, Joanne. I just – Oh, Miss Yoo, I’ll clean that up for you, please!” Yeji rushes towards her manager, who had already begun cleaning up the remnants of Geun-soo’s Americano.</p><p>The store manager frantically cleaning the floor responds with a dismissive hand wave and an apologetic grin. “No, Yeji,” she says, “it’s alright, let me handle this one. Take it as an apology for me not being there for you earlier because I got so busy with the inventory. It’s really alright; I should’ve been there to whoop that guy’s ass for you.” She sprays a mixture of soap and water from her spray bottle again, and wipes the floor with a chamois leather rug until it gleams dry, free of stickiness and sugar. Jeongyeon gives Joanne a courteous and apologetic bow for letting the boys cause a commotion, taking responsibility for what happened at the café under her management.</p><p>The girl in the round-rimmed glasses simply shrugs it off and smiles. “I did what I had to do. It’s not your fault, Jeongyeon-unnie.” She goes back to her usual table with her warm drink in hand, and set up some art and reading materials, presumably for a plate she needed to pass. As Yeji watches her walk away and go about her afternoon, right after witnessing her have the guts to go against a whole table of lean, muscular, <em>sleazy</em> college boys, she recalls the day she first met the fine arts student in the same café no less.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. How to Make a Friend</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was the start of the second semester of freshman year. Yeji just finished the first few months of the outside-training and workshops provided by the coffee company, and by the time she began working at the branch nearest to Seoul National University, she was still a barista-in-training gaining work experience. Her father had just lost his job as the company he was working under filed for bankruptcy and ultimately laid off a lot of their workers. So, in order to help her parents pay for her college tuition, she signed herself up as a part-time barista.</p>
<p>Good thing the café allowed her to come to work when convenient for her, just so she could work around her class schedules. And good thing, the café was just a block away from Seoul National University. A good eight to ten minutes of brisk walking got her to destination, all the way from the building of the College of Liberal Arts.</p>
<p>She worked every Tuesdays and Fridays, from 4:30 PM until closing, as these were the days wherein her class schedule wasn’t as packed. She’d only been working for a few weeks, but Yeji had quite an eye and a mind for people, and had already been familiar with the customers who frequented their visits on Tuesdays and Fridays. She called them by name and knew almost each of their usual orders by heart. Which was why she was surprised that on her sixth week of work, her senior and manager, Yoo Jeongyeon, greeted a peculiar girl she had never seen before, warmly and with much familiarity.</p>
<p>“Hi, Miss Jeongyeon,” said the girl. The girl removed her thick, black trench coat as she sat at one of the tables situated by the window, the café’s heater readjusting her body temperature. If Yeji’s memory served her correctly, the girl was wearing a matching knitted, midnight blue tweed blazer and shorts set. Underneath her blazer was a cream turtleneck. The dainty French school girl look would have been complete – except the girl was wearing a pair of black leather boots with chunky rubber soles. The girl walked up to the counter as she continued to make small talk with the manager.</p>
<p>“Where have you been?” the manager asked, wiping inside the newly-washed coffee cups. “I haven’t seen you in a while. And – what are you doing here? Monday was yesterday. It won’t be Thursday for another two days.”</p>
<p>The girl chuckled lightly, exposing her pearly whites, smile lines and whisker dimples appearing next to and just below her eyes. For some reason, just looking at her made Yeji’s cheeks heat up – seeing her laugh felt like a whole other-worldly experience. She was… <em>cute</em>. “Well, today I have a group work to do with some classmates and we all decided to meet up here,” the girl replied. “I’m just waiting for them now. Also, the past few weeks have been busy; I’ve been trying to adjust to our new schedule for the semester. But maybe by Thursday I’ll be back.”</p>
<p>Her eyes flitted to someone she didn’t recognize – the barista-in-training just behind the food display chiller, their eyes meeting for a second. At first glance, the girl thought that the new barista looked like a Sim waiting for the player’s command, all awkward with her hands behind her back and her eyes glancing at every corner. Judging by her nametag, the girl saw that she was relatively new, ‘trainee’ sprawled in neat Hangeul sans-serif font, just above her name that was written both in Hangeul and its Romanization. <em>Hwang Yeji.</em> “Is she new?” the girl asked the manager, obviously pertaining to Yeji. “Or is it just because I either don’t visit on Tuesdays, or because I haven’t been here in a while?”</p>
<p>Yeji regained her senses after locking eyes with the customer for a good few seconds; the other girl’s eyes were hypnotic. “Oh, yeah, hello! I’m new and I’m only here every Mondays and Fridays.” Yeji flashed the customer her signature grin that reminded some people of a certain white, animated dragon. “My name’s Yeji!” The girl, Yeji thought, seemed like she was just around her age. She wondered at that moment if she was studying at SNU, the same as her, and if she was, what college program she was taking up.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I know,” the girl responded with a small smirk tugging at the edge of her lips. She side-eyed the nametag clipped on the neckline of her apron, just a little below Yeji’s collarbones. “I can read.”</p>
<p>The new barista’s brows furrowed, wondering why the girl was looking at that certain region until she remembered that she had a nametag. She looked at it herself and laughed sheepishly. “Oh. Right,” was the only reply she could muster. Recalling her responsibilities as a barista, Yeji kindly asked for the girl’s order.</p>
<p>“Grande-sized hot soy cappuccino.”</p>
<p>“What name would you want me to put on your cup?”</p>
<p>“Joanne,” said the girl.</p>
<p>
  <em>Joanne? An English name? Perhaps.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Small talk! Small talk!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Right.</em>
</p>
<p>“That’s a lovely name,” said Yeji, a white paper cup in one hand and a Sharpie in another. “Is that your English name? Would you rather I write it in Hangeul or in its English spelling?” She looked back at the girl who was busy typing on her phone, probably messaging her group mates to ask their whereabouts.</p>
<p>Without missing a beat and without looking up from her phone, Joanne replied monotonously, “It’s my English name. So, if it’s in English, how do you think you should write it?”</p>
<p>Yeji’s wide grin disappeared into a thin line. She had hoped for a more courteous response, but she understood that, having a job concerned with customer service, she had to expect not just curt and short replies but cutthroat ones as well. Still, Yeji had a sensitive heart and having that knowledge did not stop her feelings from getting the tiniest bit hurt. She plastered another smile on her face, trying to dismiss the slight stinging she felt in her chest. <em>Toughen up, Yeji, that won’t be the worst you’d be getting from a customer. </em>“Right, of course, English spelling then. I’m really sorry,” she smiled nervously. “Double ‘n’ with an ‘e’ at the end?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Joanne said, finally looking up from her phone and slipping it back in the front pocket of her blazer. Her eyebrows grew closer together as she frowned at the barista who was taller than her. “What are you saying sorry for?”</p>
<p>“Oh, uh. I just – I just thought – I don’t know,” Yeji stammered, her heartbeat becoming louder in her ears again. “For my dumb question, I guess.”</p>
<p>“What question? About my name?” Joanne asked, brows still creased and attempting to meet at the middle. She released a soft laugh after the barista nodded, whisker dimples lining the sides of her cheeks. “I didn’t think it was stupid, and if you thought that I did think that because of how I talked then I’m sorry. My group mates were pissing me off, and sometimes I forget that the people I talk to aren’t always people who know me, so…” she explained calmly, keeping a small smile on her face.</p>
<p>Joanne brought out her café card to pay for her drink, as the barista repeated her order and asked for payment. It wasn’t long after until Joanne heard the barista call out, “One Grande-sized hot soy cappuccino for Joanne!” Yeji smiled at her as she handed her the drink in a cardboard cup sleeve, along with a few pieces of tissue. “Enjoy your drink!”</p>
<p>Almost at the same time, Joanne felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She held her drink in one hand and her phone in the other, reading the message one of her group mates, Lee Chaeryeong, sent her as she walked back to her table. <em>Ooh, someone has a crush on the barista,</em> Chaeryeong’s message read. Joanne bit the insides of her cheeks as her face became tinted with red, hoping that no one saw the stupid grin that played on her lips for a millisecond. She turned to peek at the barista who was behind the counter, washing the used coffee maker equipment by the sink.</p>
<p>Moments after, Yeji watched as Joanne’s group mates filled two empty chairs at the latter girl’s table. A tall blond girl named Yuna and a petite brunette girl named Chaeryeong, or as Yeji learned from getting their orders. For some reason, even as the barista was mindlessly cleaning coffee maker equipment and empty cups, and taking customer’s orders at the cashier, she sometimes found herself sneaking quick glances at the fine arts student as she worked on her project with her group mates.</p>
<p>She didn’t know what it was about that Joanne girl that made her nervous and made her insides churn and flip themselves over and over. Maybe she was just a useless lesbian. But Joanne surprisingly made her feel things the moment they met, and Yeji was too scared to admit it – despite the heat and the redness in her cheeks providing enough evidence.</p>
<p>After a few hours, Joanne’s group mates left – giggling at Joanne while taking sneaky looks at the barista who was busy taking a customer’s order. Joanne only hoped and prayed to God that the barista didn’t notice; except she did, but Yeji just pushed the thought aside and tried to focus on taking some middle-aged man’s order. <em>What’s the point of overthinking it anyway? It’s not like they were talking about me</em>, Yeji denied in her head while making the customer’s coffee.</p>
<p>Yeji started packing up to end her shift and close the café early. She scanned the place to see how many customers they had left, and upon looking, there were about ten students working on various projects and papers for class. “Last call! Closing time in half an hour!” the barista-in-training called out, as per her manager’s instructions, the latter working on the inventory on her own. Yeji’s eyes flitted again to the table of the girl who piqued her interest, just to see if she was still there.</p>
<p><em>Why am I looking for her? Why am I thinking about her?</em> she thought. She wanted to scold herself for that.</p>
<p>There she still was, at the same table, frantically flipping through a textbook and typing on her laptop. Her eyebrows were so close together in concentration that they look like they could knot themselves into each other. Yeji tried to keep herself from glancing at her, but she was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. She was cute, and maybe Yeji wanted to be friends. As she wiped the counter and the claiming area clean, the barista’s eyes landed on the fine arts student again, promising that it would be the last time she’d look her way that day.</p>
<p>Joanne readjusted her position in her seat, ignoring Yeji’s last call for accepting orders. But the sound of Yeji’s voice did distract her from finishing a paper on the contributions of ancient Greece to art. She fixed her gold-rimmed glasses on her slender nose with a finger, and shifted her gaze on the barista who was wiping the countertop dry. A heartbeat passed and a pair of deep, brown, cat-like eyes found hers from behind the counter. Joanne could feel heartbeat get louder in her chest before she was able to register what just happened. Her gaze lingered a moment longer until she realized that the barista had already swiftly pulled away from their eye contact. The girl in the tweed blazer lightly shook her head as she tried to snap herself out of it and resumed working on her papers.</p>
<p>“We’re closing up in five minutes. Or should I ask you to do it instead?”</p>
<p>The fine arts student looked up to see Yeji settling in the seat in front of her. She had a mischievous smirk on her face, folding her apron and putting it in her small knapsack. She fished something out of the front pocket and dangled it in front of Joanne. It was a set of keys, clinking and chiming against one another. Joanne laughed softly at the older girl’s quip. “Didn’t Miss Yoo tell you?” she quipped back. “I loved doing my homework at the café so much that I’d usually be the last customer to leave.”</p>
<p>Still, Joanne knew that it was her cue to get up and pack her things to go home. She took one last look at her book and dog-eared the page she was on, wrote something on her planner, and closed her laptop before sliding it gently in her bag. “What’s that you’re working on?” Joanne heard the other girl ask.</p>
<p>“Just a paper for class,” Joanne replied.</p>
<p>“Can I see the book?”</p>
<p>“Sure.”</p>
<p>Yeji flipped through the book to check what page the other girl had bookmarked and landed on a page from a whole chapter containing some history on ancient Greek art. “Hm, art history, huh?” she asked curiously but with a tinge of teasing. “Are you taking up fine arts?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Joanne responded, slightly confused but amused at the older girl’s sudden interest in her and her things. “Freshman student at S—“ Before she could finish what she was about to say, Yeji had already flipped the book over to the last page, revealing the library card at the back with the logo of the school they were both attending.</p>
<p>“Seoul National University!” Yeji exclaimed in amusement. “That’s where I go, too! And oh – our departments are so near to each other! I’m also a freshman, but I’m taking up liberal studies!”</p>
<p>Joanne observed how giddy and ecstatic Yeji was becoming. Her eyes disappeared and her cheeks became more prominent whenever she grinned widely. Her lips were thin and looked heavier on top and were upturned at the edges (even when she wasn’t smiling), but her smile was so wide and gummy that you could almost see each tooth gleam like pearls in the moonlight. She pondered about how this barista managed to deal with classes from morning to afternoon, and people from afternoon to night, and still be this bubbly after her shift.</p>
<p>“I don’t know what to do with that information, but okay. Good to know,” Joanne replied with a mocking grin. Her brows were furrowed but her mouth was trying to stifle a laugh.</p>
<p>Yeji pouted slightly, pretending to act hurt. “Well, I don’t know, maybe we could hang out after classes or have lunch together if we ever have same break times,” she said, eyes almost pleading. But then her expression shifted into the bubbly, giddy one she had earlier. Talk about duality, Joanne thought.</p>
<p>“It’s okay if you don’t want to, though. I was kidding! Unless you’re down for it, then I’m not kidding!” Yeji added. She wore her long straight hair in a high ponytail, but since the day was over and all she needed to do was go home, she slid the scrunchie off.</p>
<p>Joanne, without being mindful of her own actions, silently trailed with her eyes the locks of hair that cascaded down the other girl’s shoulders and down to her chest. “Hm, yeah. I’ll think about it,” she whispered softly, but loud enough for the other girl to hear. Yeji’s hair looked so soft, and it framed her face really well, too. She must have been silently watching Yeji pack up the rest of her things because the sound of Jeongyeon’s voice made her look away and finish packing up herself.</p>
<p>“You ready to close, Yeji?” the manager asked, stepping out in a hoodie over her barista uniform. She had one of the earphone buds hanging from behind the shell of her right ear.</p>
<p>After closing the café, Jeongyeon bid the girls goodbye and told them to be safe and careful on the way home. As the manager turned right, Yeji and Joanne found themselves going the opposite direction.</p>
<p>The girl in the tweed blazer walked a little fast, an AirPod in her ear, going on her merry way thinking that she was going home alone. But Yeji, having found a new friend, tried to keep up with Joanne’s footsteps as they both turned left. Joanne’s ears perked up at the sound of Yeji calling out to her cheerfully. She whipped her head in the barista’s direction and stayed where she was standing.</p>
<p>“Joanne, wait up! It looks like we’re walking the same way,” she said, finally catching up to the girl, waddling towards Joanne on her last steps. She watched as Joanne put the AirPod back in her ear and walked silently alongside her. Yeji had so many questions but she had to ask one by one or the other girl might have thought there was something wrong with her. “Do you stay in one of the dorms in SNU?” she asked.</p>
<p>At first, Yeji didn’t think Joanne heard her because her expression was just as blank as before. But after a few moments, she responded. “Yeah,” she said. In reality, Joanne was just tired and did not want to expend too much energy at night when she was supposed to be resting – much less expending it by responding to someone she just met regarding some slightly personal information. But she tried to keep the conversation up for the heck of it. “How about you?”</p>
<p>“No, I live with some relatives in a nearby condominium,” Yeji shook her head as she answered the other’s question. She pursed her lips, keeping them in a tight line.</p>
<p>Joanne does not say anything else; she felt like Yeji wanted to say something more so she waited.</p>
<p>True enough, after a couple of heartbeats, Yeji continued to “But I’m planning to move to the dorms, if there are still any vacant rooms left.”</p>
<p>“When?” Joanne hoped she wasn’t being intrusive. She sometimes didn’t know if she was doing well at small talk and heavily relied on the flow of the conversation and the context to be able to come up with a response or a question. Unbeknownst to her, Yeji appreciated the small talk.</p>
<p>“Soon, I hope,” Yeji sighed again, her breath morphing into a soft chuckle. “I’ll do so, once I’ve gathered enough money to pay for all my expenses. But then again, I’m paying for a lot, so who knows when I’ll actually be able to get into one of the dorms.” Yeji shifted her eyes from Joanne to the asphalt they were walking on, then right in front of her. She kept her head low as they moved forward.</p>
<p>“I see…” said Joanne quietly. “If it’s okay, may I ask why are you planning to move when you’re living with relatives anyway?”</p>
<p>Yeji knew that question was coming, and although these matters were personal to her, she was being burdened by a lot. She wasn’t ashamed of the things she had to go through and knew that she was doing so for herself and her family. All things considered, she was proud of herself. So maybe opening up a little by concealing it as a form of small talk to a stranger — or at least someone relatively very new in her life — wouldn’t hurt at all.</p>
<p>The barista tried to keep her tone still cheerful. “I feel bad for relying on them for housing,” she said, “and just the fact that I needed to rely on other people is a little embarrassing. They shouldn’t be paying this much for me, and although I help out around the place a lot, I want to repay them for taking me in and be responsible for my own housing.” She kicked a pebble in front of her and watched it skip away with somber eyes and slightly upturned lips.</p>
<p>Joanne couldn’t figure out the expression painted on the other girl’s face, despite the nightlife surrounding their university gave off enough light. But… being away from family, living with other relatives instead, working a part-time customer service job <em>and</em> being a college student? Definitely does not sound easy. She wondered what she could say or do to give her new barista friend any form of consolation.</p>
<p>“That’s mature of you and I admire that,” the short-haired girl voiced out, which visibly got Yeji flustered and taken aback. She tried to give Yeji a soft, warm smile to liven up her mood a little and continued to speak. “Anyway, if it’s any help at all, our dorm room still has a few spaces left. I dorm with the two other girls you saw with me earlier, and some other girl named Somi. Somi wanted to have her own room so we split up. I sleep in a room on my own, Somi in another, and Chaeryeong and Yuna in another. So if you ever have problems with getting a space, let me know. We don’t allow just anyone to stay there so you don’t have to worry about losing a slot.”</p>
<p>The long-haired girl didn’t know how to respond but was definitely endeared by the gesture, especially considering how they’d only met that same day. How could Joanne just offer a dormitory bed space to someone new? Yeji was thinking about accepting the offer already but she also knew that she couldn’t make any promises because she was still short on funds and wanted to make sure she wasn’t being scammed. “Th…”</p>
<p>“It’s okay, you don’t have to save up a slot as early as now,” Joanne cut in, detecting how Yeji was still on the fence about it. “I was just telling you. Just so you know.”</p>
<p>Yeji nodded in acknowledgement and gave Joanne one of the most genuine smiles she had given anyone that day. Whenever she smiled, her eyes would vanish and gleam; some people would call it an eye-smile. “Well okay, I’ll think about it! I’ll save up for it, too!” she said, exposing her pearly-whites.</p>
<p>The long-haired girl was notorious for her bright smile — you would’ve thought she was powering the city — so much so that she was nicknamed ‘Smiley’ in kindergarten and everyone wanted to be her friend. Joanne secretly wanted to be her friend.</p>
<p>The two finally reached the end of their night walk home together as they got to the entrance of the university. “This is my stop,” Joanne declared. A sudden worry washed over her as she thought about how Yeji would have to walk home alone. Despite knowing that she had possibly walked home by herself after her shifts at the café, she still had to ask and make sure. “You okay with walking home alone?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I’ll be okay,” Yeji assured Joanne, slightly surprised at how the girl she just met that same day was asking a question that expressed even a small amount of concern. She wasn’t used to having people aside from family looking out for her, especially in an environment she was still trying to get adjusted to. It had only been a few weeks since she started formally working at the café as a barista-in-training, after all.</p>
<p>Still, despite the assurance she received, Joanne couldn’t shake off the sliver of concern that was bothering her. So she took a pen from the front pocket of her bag and did and said the next best thing she could think of. “Okay, just to be sure,” she said, gesturing for Yeji to extend her hand out to her, “let me know when you get home safely.”</p>
<p>As the barista obliged, though confused, she gave her hand to Joanne and the latter began using the back of her hand as a canvas. She blinked, after Joanne had finished writing, and saw a set of numbers written on her skin. Joanne’s mobile number. <em>Huh</em>, Yeji thought. Again, taken aback at the thoughtful gesture, Yeji let out a soft laugh and flashed her newfound friend another smile. “Okay, I will. Thank you!”</p>
<p>“Oh, and by the way,” Joanne said, looking back at Yeji right as she was about to enter the university premises, “I don’t mind meeting up for lunch or breaks. Bye.” Without so much another word, she turned towards the gate and slapped her school ID against the sensor to allow her to get inside. Good thing she always made it in time before the curfew.</p>
<p>The only thing Yeji could see was Joanne’s back as she walked farther and farther away. Once Joanne was out of sight, she went on her merry way home.</p>
<p>Upon getting home, the long-haired girl took out the clothes she needed for the next day and tossed her water bottle in the sink until she saw the back of her hand and remembered to text Joanne that she arrived home safely.</p>
<p><strong>Yeji: </strong>Hi, Joanne! I got home safely. Thank you! –Y. (Sent 10:23 PM)</p>
<p><strong>Joanne: </strong>Good. (Sent 10:23 PM)</p>
<p>Yeji grinned at her screen and decided to put her phone down to prepare for the next day, wash her water bottle, and make sure no homework was required for school. Until heard her phone <em>ping</em> again.</p>
<p><strong>Joanne:</strong> Here’s my class schedule. (Sent 10:26 PM)</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>Joanne sent you a photo. (10:26 PM)</em>
  </strong>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm really sorry it took me more than a month to update this, I just got so focused on my Moonsun (MAMAMOO) x Ryeji social media AU on Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/solargay/status/1247916492634513410?s=20">here</a>) which is the main thing I've been working on since I posted it. And then I kinda lost motivation to write so I needed to take a break. I hope you guys understand.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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